Penny-Wise

PENNY-WISE

4 .1

Vol, IV, No. 5 Consecutive Issue 20 September 15, 1970

\

Here’s your after -the -summer issue of PENNY-WISE. Welcome back from your
vacation !

Your Editor apologizes if the issue arrives at your mailbox a few days late.

First of all, he was away himself on vacation from August 21-30. ..... his first

vacation In ten years spending a few days along the Mohawk Trail in Massa-

chusetts, but most of his time at his summer home on a mountain lake in northwest
New Jersey where he loafed, and fished, and swam, and did maintenance re-

pairs and painting. Secondly, with Bill Parks retired, P-W now becomes a. long
distance operation between the Editor in N. Y. and Mama Mimeo in Florida. And
last of all, due to the lack of adequate mail facilities offered by the U. S. government,
the general slow-down necessitated some last minute candle -burning in getting the
issue ready for printing.

But we think you’ll enjoy what you will find ! And we're happy to say that we
have good expectations for future Issues too.

Most importantly, we think you'll find Jeffrey and Paul Oliphant’s article on
"Large Cent Restrikes" to be one of the most Interesting and informative you'll ever
have occasion to read. Paul tells us that his 15-year-old son Jeffrey did most of the
research and writing of the article, and it only goes to show what our younger gener-
ation can do and accomplish if they are given the proper guidance and encouragement.

Interestingly enough, the article took a little effort on the part of all concerned
to get it to you for this issue. Paul mailed the original copy to the Editor in plenty
of time to be included in this issue. Although it was sent by registered air mail, it
has not yet been received, even after more than two weeks have elapsed. Paul
notified the Editor by telephone at the time he mailed it. After waiting a reasonable
length of time without receiving it, the Editor called Paul across country (NYC to
LA) by telephone, just to be sure that it had been sent. Paul immediately readied a
second copy and took it personally to the Los Angeles International Airport for mail-
ing, and the second copy arrived within 18 hours after it was mailed. Just to show
the efficiency of our great U. S. Postal System, the mailing envelope bore 95 cents
in postage stamps, not one of which had been cancelled.

This issue also welcomes back John Wright who has contributed a three-part
article on "Notes on the Tammanys". John started the article several Issues ago
and then backed down when it looked like the Newcomb Revision Committee was be-
ginning to roll. Maybe we'll get the revision soon, but at least for this issue and
the next two, we'll have John Wright's ideas on the subject.

Ned Bush comments on his last Photo-Penny Quiz for you, there are a number
of meeting reports, and several announcements of regional meetings soon to take
place. We're sure that all of you will find your mouth watering when you read what
those Floridians in Miami are readying for 1?AC.

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Dane Nielsen has come up with soine nictS comments and reasonable criticisms
in his letter to the Editor.

Tom Wolf tells about his new coin press. ... .you can see the original if you

plan to journey to Miami but he gives you all the information for making your

own if you care to do so. Tom sent along some pressings which he made on his

machine, and they are really fantabulous (that's superlative for fantastic !)

and we mean it.

All the other pages - potpourri, comments, etc. are worthwhile looking over too.

Just in case you're wondering Herb Silberman has pressed Mrs. Sllberman

into the job as acting Treasurer in lieu of Bill Parks and she is doing one fine job
..... .this in spite of the fact that the Silbermans expect to be moving from New Jersey

to Long Island, N. Y. in the near future.

EAC is becoming more and more important every day as a specialty organization
in the numismatics field, and it is all because of the interest, dedication, and support
of all the members such as yourself. Just yesterday EAC received a request from
Ken Bressett, an EAC member, which we'll tell you about in the next issue. ......

but it s a humdinger of a project which should be of considerable interest to all.

Likewise, each issue is showing up new contributors to our journal, and their
contributions have all been excellent, informative, and worthwhile. Let's keep up
the good work and keep your articles, comments, and suggestions pouring into the
Editor. .... .that's what makes a lively organization. Many of the other numismatic

groups are beginning to take notice of our progress and where can any specialty

group turn out regional meetings such as EAC has been doing? The ones held
recently have all been models of superlative planning, and those to come look like
they'll even improve on what was already tops in the numismatic fraternity.

Thanks to all of you. Keep your letters coming. Forward all mail for the
present to your Editor, Warren A. Lapp, 731 East 22nd Street, Brooklyn, New York
11210. We enjoy and appreciate hearing from you, and we try to answer specific
requests as quickly as we can find the time to do so.

Best regards from all your EAC officers. Now let's get down to the problem of
large cents again. . . . . .and all other coppers, including half cents and colonials.

Any literary contributions to offer?

Sincerely,

The Editor and Staff at EAC

*

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LARGE CENT RESTRIKES

Jeffrey and Paul Oliphant

By definition, a restrike is a coin stamped from genuine dies in other than the
year the original was struck. A restrike need not be struck from the same dies as
the original. The 1804 large cent restrike has neither the original obverse or re-
verse dies, whereas the 1810 and 1823 large cent restrikes have only the original
obverse dies.

Large cents became popular as collectors' items in the late 1850's. Coins
dated 1804 and 1823 were very rare even in those days and were in great demand by
the coin collectors of the time.

In 1816, the Mint "caught fire and much of its heavy machinery was destroyed.
Some time later, as men were clearing away the debris, a small subterranean vault
was unearthed and its contents, consisting of several old dies, were sold to a worker
in scrap steel". The dies were sold subsequently to Joseph J. Mickley, who many
years afterwards became a well-known coin collector and coin dealer. Mickley kept
the dies for over half a century. Sometime after 1856, he sold an interest in the dies
to Edward W. Cogan, a coin auctioneer and the nation's first full-time coin dealer
who in later years became known as the "Father of the Coin Trade in America". The
1804 and 1823 large cent restrikes, the 1811 half cent restrike, and other restrikes
were coined under the direction of Mickley and Cogan in either 1868 or 1869. Their
counterfeiting venture, which was very successful, ended when the 1823 dies became
severely cracked and the public had become aroused by the 1804 restrikes. In 1869,
Mickley and Cogan sold the dies used to coin the 1823 restrikes; and these dies
eventually ended up in the hands of a man named Miller, who lived on 7th Street in
Philadelphia.

The rest of the dies were kept by Mickley until his death in 1878. At that time,
a great many of his coins, mostly foreign, and his old dies were to be sold at public
auction in November, 1878 by Moses Thomas and Sons, of Philadelphia, the
catalogue having been prepared by the well-known coin dealer, Ebenezer Mason.

But before the auction took place, the following happened as related in "an editorial
in the American Journal of Numismatics . Vol. XIII, No. 3, January, 1879":

"The statement that the dies, hubs, etc. of U. S. Coins, advertised
for sale with the Mickley Collection, were seized by the United States
authorities, has given rise to a great deal of comment. We have received
from a gentleman in Philadelphia the following account of the affair.

'A few days previous to the sale, the United States authorities
claimed the above, viz: some 20 obverse and reverse dies of the
U. S. coinage, mostly in damaged and corroded condition, the same
having been condemned by the Mint authorities above 'half a century
ago', and as tradition says was the custom in those days, 'sold for

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old iron'. Since then, we have grown more artful, and it has been deemed
politic under existing laws, that the whole multitude of dated dies should be
annually destroyed in the presence of three designated officers of the Mint.
In the above described lots in the catalogue, there was not a complete pair
of obverse and reverse. Even the obverse die of the half cent of 1811 was
muled with a reverse die of a different year. We cannot conceive by what
authority the government, after making the sale of its 'refuse material',
could seize upon the same property without tendering some compensation.
There is scarcely a numismatist in the United States, but who is aware of
the existence and whereabouts of similar dies, and who is also aware of
the many re -strikes', known to be such, — being made from the dies
say of the 1804 cent, the 1811 half cent, and of the 1823 cent, outside of
the Mint.

Philadelphia, December, 1878.

Coulton'

(R. Coulton Davis, an
early specialist in patterns. )

From what we have seen in the public prints in reference to this matter, we infer
that the government authorities were somewhat hasty in their action, and claimed
the property without first satisfying themselves as to the ownership. No one
would for a moment suspect Mr. Mickley of any wrong doing in the matter. The
affair was settled, we believe, by a payment to the family of the estimated value
of the dies, which were then presented to the Mint, and subsequently destroyed."

The restrlkes have become popular, in themselves, as collector's items today.
Both the 1804 and 1823 restrikes realize over $100. and the 1810 brings a great deal
more than that.

1804

The 1804 restrike is the best known, although not the commonest, large cent
restrike. They were coined under the direction of Joseph J. Mickley and Edward W.
Cogan, important members of the numismatic community at the time, who owned the
dies jointly for these restrikes as well as the 1823 restrike, the 1811 half cent re-
strike, and others. They held these dies from about 1816 to 1878, when they were
sold with the Mickley collection after his (Mickley’s) death. The 1804 restrike dies

have not been used since and I believe that they are not in existence at the present
time.

The easiest way to identify an 1804 restrike is to examine the reverse because a
later style reverse was used on the restrike. There is no fraction and the wreath is
made up of one circular branch. The reverse is No. L of 1820, N-12, with the line
under ONE CENT removed with no traces of its once being there. The reverse has
large letters, Type II, which dates it no earlier than 1819 and no later than 1834.

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f

PLATE

SHOWING RESTRIKES

1804

182 ?

167

Original 1804 which
shows the crosslet
very plainly.

The 1804 restrike.
Note the recut 8
and the absence of
the crosBlet and
feet on the 4.

168 -

The large berries on this die, date it conclusively to late 1819, early 1820. Of these,
Reverse L of 1820 is the only match. In fact, of all the 84 known dies with large
Type II letters, 1820 Reverse L is the only survivable candidate. Despite state-
ments in the Doughty book and in PENNY WHIMSY which date the reverse as one of
those struck in 1818, the above is positive proof that the 1820 Reverse L die was used
to strike the reverse of the 1804 restrike. For the restrike, though, the die has
been reground and retooled to strengthen the attenuated (thinned out) letters.

The obverse of the restrike is No. 13 of 1803, S-261. The die for this striking
was broken, heavily rusted, and, of course, the date had been altered to 1804. The
top and bottom of the 3 can be seen under the 4, and the 180 in the date were hand-
tooled to strengthen the date. The altered 4 does not have a crosslet or a foot,
whereas the original has both. In the process, the style of the 8 was changed from
block to script. Also, LIBERTY appears to have been retooled in some way to
strengthen the lettering.

The arc-like cracks on the obverse are most obvious. One such crack, which
appeared when the die was used to strike the coins of 1803 but is now greatly ad-
vanced, extends from the denticles between the 80 in 1804, rises through the bust
near the point where the bust meets the drapery, through the drapery, touches the
lowest point of the ribbon, and then curves toward the denticles in the center of the
field on the left. Another crack starts in the denticles in the lower portion on the left
field and extends through most of the drapery and terminates just before it would
intersect the crack previously described. A third crack starts in the center of the
lowest curl on the left and terminates in the drapery directly above the left point of
the top of the 1 in the date. This crack only measures approximately 5.5 millimeters.

The 1804 restrike varies in size and in weight. One restrike measures 29
millimeters in diameter and weighs 164.7 (plus or minus grains, but some are
larger and some are smaller). All restrikes, though, are larger than the original.
Most 1804 restrikes were struck in copper, with an extremely limited amount (2 or
3 ) struck in tin.

The price of the 1804 restrike has steadily risen. The coin in the New
Netherlands 50th Sale of December, 1957, went for $36. The Lester Merkin coin,
sold in October, 1966, went for $65 and was only in Extremely Fine. The R. L.

Miles coin, sold by Stacks in 1969, went for $95. The 1804 restrike now lists for
$150. in the 1971 Red Book.

1810

The 1810 restrike is the rarest of all large cent restrikes. Struck only in tin,
only two examples are known. These were struck about the same time as the other
two large cent restrikes, circa 1862, and were probably also struck under the
direction of Mickley and Cogan.

The obverse of the restrike is No. 5 of 1810, S-285, while the reverse is No. L
of 1820, N-12, the same reverse die used for the 1804 restrike. Both the obverse

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and reverse dies were in a badly rusted state. There is a faint crack present along
the outer points of all stars on the right and extending under the 10 in the date.

The coin in the Homer K. Downing Sale, belonging to Howard D. Gibbs, sold by
New Netherlands at the 1952 ANA Convention, is the choicer of the two specimens.

Its history can be traced back to May, 1879, when it was sold in the Lyman Wilder
Collection by Haseltine. At the 1952 ANA Convention, the coin went for $52.50. The
other coin, from the David Proskey estate, belonged to a New York dealer in 1952 and
its present whereabouts is unknown. The restrike coin is not listed in the Red Book
and is extremely rare and expensive. In the Standard Catalogue of U. S. Coins . 18th
edition (1957 ), by Wayte Raymond, the coin was estimated to be worth $100. , but that
was back in 1957.

1823

The 1823 restrike is the only other large cent restrike struck in copper, although
some examples of this restrike are known to exist in silver. It is more common than
the 1804 restrlke but is not as well known or readily recognized. The restrikes were
struck on at least three different occasions. The copper examples with perfect dies
were struck in circa 1862 under the direction of Mickley and Cogan, the same two who
ordered the coining of the 1804 restrike and the 1811 half cent restrike. Mickley owned
the 1823 restrike dies from some time after 1823 to 1868, while Cogan bought an
interest in them either in the 1850’s or early 1860's. They sold the dies used to coin
the restrikes in either 1868 or 1869. Exact records are impossible to find because no
written records of ownership of the dies were kept.

Only 49 coins were struck before the dies cracked; and when they did, the two
men terminated their counterfeiting activities. They sold the dies, and eventually the
dies ended up in the hands of a man named Miller who lived on 7th Street in Philadel-
phia. Miller is given credit for striking the coins with the cracked dies sometime
between 1868 and 1869. He made many impressions and continued to strike the coins
although the cracks developed and progressed at a fairly rapid pace. Most of the
coins struck by Miller were severely cracked and said to be "State IV" with earlier
die states, also probably coined by Miller, but not as common and fewer in number.

Miller, sometime prior to 1879, sold the dies to Dr. M. W. Dickeson who in
turn sold them to Capt. J. W. Haseltine, a very well-known coin dealer of the last part
of the nineteenth century. It is believed that Haseltine coined the silver pieces in either
1878 or 1879. Some copper specimens were struck after the small issue of silver
examples. Conflicting reports state that 2 or 12 copper specimens were struck.

Charles Steigerwalt, official counterfeit detector of the ANA, subsequently discovered
the dies have been preserved to this date. They are currently in the hands of an
Eastern collector.

The obverse of the 1823 re strike has a slightly rusted surface due to rust and
pitting on the die. The obverse is No. 2 of 1823, N-2. Die cracks are visible through-
out the obverse except on those first 49 examples. There is a rim break over the
fourth to seventh stars. Some copper examples have a heavy diagonal crack from rim

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to rim, starting below the fifth and passing ‘through the twelfth star. The first die
break mentioned also appears on some examples of the original. The heavy diagonal
crack does not appear on any other 1823 large cent. The silver examples and the
copper examples which were struck after the silver specimens have an additional
crack from the first star joining the diagonal crack on the cheek.

The reverse is Rev. B of 1813, S-293, in a badly broken state. The reverse has
moderately rusted surfaces due to pitted dies. It also shows evidence of being tooled
in an effort to strengthen the die. The reverse on the later state pieces is cracked
from the rim through D in UNITED, passing in a curve over ONE, through R in
AMERICA to the rim, and another from the rim between TE in UNITED joining the
curved crack over O in ONE.

The 1823 restrike varies in size and weight. One piece which is 28 millimeters
in diameter weighs 159.3 (plus or minus) grains while a 29 millimeter specimen
weighs 176.3 (plus or minus) grains. It is also interesting to note that the authors
have seen 1823 restrikes with wired edges, but some have been on the obverse while
others have been on the reverse.

The restrike first appeared in the auction sale of the W. Elliot Woodward
collection on October 20-24, 1863, in Philadelphia. The auctioneer was the same
Edward W. Cogan who at one time jointly owned the dies with Mickley. The restrlke
was listed in the catalogue as follows: "Lot 1921. 1823. Bright, one of the few
recently struck from original dies".

The specimen in the Helfenstein Collection sold by Lester Merkin in 1964,
which was one of the first 49 1823 restrikes struck under the direction of Mickley
and Cogan, brought $220. This was twice the Red Book price and nearly three times
the amount brought by the other 1823 restrike in the same condition at the same sale.
The only difference was that the other coin was in the commonest state, "State IV".

The coin in the Hillcrest Sale of September, 1968, a proof-like MS60 State IV
coin, brought $100. The coin sold by Lester Merkin in March, 1969, also proof-like,
went for $95. The 1971 Red Book price of the coin is listed at $120.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Breen, Walter, "Additions and Corrections to Glossary", PENNY-WISE,
Vol. 2, p. 76.

Doughty, Francis W. , The Cents of the United States , A Numismatic Study ,
New York, N. Y. , Scott Stamp and Coin Co. , Ltd, , 1890.

Hillcrest Sale, September 24, 1968.

Merkin, Lester, Louis Helfenstein Collection of Large Cents , 1793-1857,
New York, N. Y. , Lester Merkin, c. 1964.

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Merkin, Lester, Auction Sale, Octobefr 19, 1*366 , New York, N. Y. , Lester
Merkln, c. 1966.

Merkin, Lester, Auction Sale, March 28 , 29 , 1969 , New York, N. Y. , Lester
Merkin, c. 1969.

Newcomb, Howard R. , United States Copper Cents. 1816 - 1857 . 3rd edition, New York,
N. Y. , Numismatic Review, c„ 1963.

New Netherlands Coin Company, et al, 1952 Annual Public Auction Sale of the

American Numismatic Association , New York, N. Y. , Confort & Company, Inc.,
c. 1952.

New Netherlands Coin Company, 50th Auction Catalogue , December 6, 7, 1957. New
York, N. Y. , New Netherlands Coin Company, c. 1957.

Raymond, Wayte, Standard Catalogue of U. S. Coins, 18th edition, 1957.

Stacks R. L. Miles Collection of U, S. Coins , Part 1 1, New York, N. Y. , Stacks,
c. 1969.

Taxay, Don, Counterfeit , Mis-Struck , and Unofficial U. S. Coins , New York, N. Y. ,
ARCO Publishing Company, Inc. , 1963.

Williamson, R. H. , "Large Cents That Survived”, in Selctions from THE

NUMISMATIST — United States Coins , Racine, Wisconsin, Whitman Publishing
Co. , c. 1960.

Wright, John D. , "Answers to Penny Quiz", PENNY-WISE, Vol. 2, pp. 14-15.

Wright, John D. , "The Members Speak for Themselves", PENNY-WISE, Vol. 2,
page 18.

Yeoman, R. S. , 1971 — A Guide Book o f United States Coins, 24th edition, Racine,
Wisconsin, Western Publishing Co. , c. 1970.

Also Conversations and/or correspondence with the following:

Bowers, Q„ David
Breen, Walter
Lapp, Dr. Warren A.

Nielsen, Dane B.

Wright, John D.

All direct quotations in this paper are from Counterfeit, Mis-Struck , and Unofficial
U. S. Coins , by Don Taxay.

The authors are indebted to John D. Wright for the photographic plates included with
this article.

*****,***,*****

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REGIONAL MEETING C5N WEST COAST

Friday night, July 24, 1970, marked the largest regional EAC meeting in West
Coast (and possibly national) history,, Del Bland and I were coordinators, and
Bill Weber furnished the meeting place: the employees' lounge of the telephone
company in Los Gatos, California. Members attended from a range of some 500
miles or more. Jeff Oliphant and I flew up from Southern California for the weekend,
and the Bay area was represented by nearly every member.

Originally the meeting had been scheduled for a motel room in Sunnyvale, but
there was a last minute change when Bill Weber obtained the use of the telephone
company building for us. As it was impossible to notify everybody of the last minute
change, Del and I waited at the motel for the later arrivals so that we could all travel
together down to Los Gatos. At the motel we first met Dick Winterholder, a new EAC
member from Petaluma. Then Paul Kohler Sr. and Jr. arrived from Atherton.

Paul Sr. is an international airline pilot and thus has the opportunity to build up his
foreign crown collection also. Carl Windon of Oakland (along with a trunkful of
goodies) arrived on time. Lastly, and only a half hour late (as usual and totally
predictable according to Del), in drifted George "Pat" Patterson to several welcoming
boos and catcalls from the rest of us.

After piling into Dick Winterholder 's station wagon, we drove down to Los Gatos,
just twenty minutes away, where we joined with Bill Weber of San Jose, Ted Hoffman
of Sunnyvale, and Hugh Campbell of Santa Clara. Hugh is one of the newer members
in EAC, and Ted and Bill plan to join shortly.

I glanced around quickly and noticed that everyone had brought along a little box
or two, so it looked like we could anticipate a big night. As soon as everyone had
been seated around some hastily re-arranged tables and had signed the attendance
sheet, we started with the evening's activities. Initially, we all stood in turn and
introduced ourselves and told of our particular coin collecting interests. We learned
of Hugh Campbell's and Bill Weber's penchant for half cents (they're hoping to
correspond with other EAC members who share the same interest). Paul Kohler

Sr. related his experiences in buying ancient coins in Beirut according to his

son, the outcome was predictable (95 per cent counterfeits). Carl Windon is active
in many coin clubs in the area and collects many different types but especially large
cents. Dick Winterholder and Ted Hoffman admitted to being neophytes in the early
American copper field.

After our self-introductions, we had a quiz on large cents (much to the chagrin
and avowed revenge of our half cent specialists). We had a lot of fun, however, and
in some cases the quiz pointed up how much we have to learn: What is so notable
about J. J. Mickle y's birth date? Can you identify the doughty 66? How many stars
are on the reverse of the Hays 8? - these were some of the brain teasers which we
tried. Hugh Campbell guessed that the 1839 N-l was a "Booby Head", to the delight
of everybody. When I asked him what he had put down as the answer for the 1823
N-l, he replied "overdate" which is correct, but several of us called out in unison:
"No, it's the 1823 Bobby Head, you bobby head. " Possibly, Hugh will be staying with
his half cents for a long while to come .

- 173 -

After the quiz, we broke up into small groups for the purposes of discussion
and for the viewing of choice coins. Bill Weber displayed a superb 1793 half cent
and several different die states of the 1802, including a nice VF with much of the
original token planchet still visible. Hugh Campbell showed us some beautiful, early
MS half cents and an exceptional 1797 struck from a cut-down large cent. Much of
the legend on the reverse, including the wreath and ONE CENT, were still plainly
visible on the reverse of the half cent.

Carl Windon then showed many of the coins which we had talked about in our quiz
including an 1817 "mouse top", the 1833 N-5 "horned 8" , some Randall Hoard
varieties, and many more. Dick Winterholder displayed an 1833 which he had recently
acquired; and lo and behold, he too had a "horned 8" variety.

Jeff Oliphant located several examples of the 1823 re strike which he studied for
future use in his article on large cent restrikes. He succeeded in borrowing one
specimen so that he could take it home for weighing and measuring.

Paul Kohler, Jr. , who was not a collector of large cents ( at least up until now ! ),
was really inundated with choice specimens which kindled some sort of interest in him
as nobody seemed more intent or interested than he.

Finally, I displayed a few of my nicer coins including my recently completed
collection of 1796 Liberty Caps. It was an exciting weekend for me, as I finally
obtained the elusive Gilbert I (Sheldon 90) as well as lovely specimens of the 1794
Hays 1 and the S-177 of 1798. On the way home , my travel bag was bursting with some
new book acquisitions too, including several old coin sale catalogues, a Newcomb
monograph on the 1801-02-03, etc.

As the little hand neared 3 A.M. , the meeting broke up although several of us
were still going strong. All of us ended up with the feeling that we do, indeed, have a
great section of the Early American Coppers Club out here and we hope that every-
body will feel free to join with us. We plan another meeting for the San Francisco
area near the end of September, to which you are all invited. If you are interested,
please drop me a line. Although another memorable evening had passed, we were
already anticipating still another West Coast EAC regional meeting, just around the
bend, come September.

Dane B, Nielsen, Recorder
5223 Harmony Avenue , Apt. 4
North Hollywood, California 91601

EAC AT BLUE RIDGE, GREENVILLE, S. C.

August 13-16, 1970

The first EAC member at the Blue Ridge Numismatic Association (BRNA)
convention was probably either J. M. Cooper or C. F. Gordon and wife. Cooper
was settingup his multiple exhibits (U. S. large cents, Carolina gold, and Spanish
Colonial) while the Gordons were setting up their bourse table.

John Wright's exhibit, featuring the cent restrikes of 1804 and 1823, arrived
Thursday morning. His exhibit was inspired by the article under preparation by
the Oliphants.

Darwin Palmer, Jr. , along with his recently acquired MS70 wife Pat, dropped
in for an hour on Thursday on their way to Atlanta, Ga. The Palmers saw Cooper
and the Gordons, but no R6 or 7 cents. The Wrights drove over Friday morning
and scouted the show floor, finding several upgrades but no additional varieties for
their set,

Saturday afternoon the Palmers returned and, as soon as the Wrights could be
persuaded to leave the Travelodge pool, the convention was critically examined for
cents. Wright relayed his scouting report (1794 S-19b G5 and 1835 N4 VF20
among others) to Palmer, who made tracks toward the appropriate dealers. The
S-19b was traded for. The 1835 proved more elusive (the dealer being at lunch)
and had to wait several hours to be liberated.

The key dates were all represented "at a price", and most failed to change
hands. Choice cents were in fair abundance, but bargains were sparse. As usual,
there were several cyanided XF cents parading as "Choice Unc".

Late Saturday afternoon a happy fivesome - Cooper, Gordon, Palmer, and the
Wrights - assembled to view Palmer's color slides (courtesy of Reiver, Wright,
Wrubel, and others). We all guessed at varieties and verbalized on conditions of
the cents, which ranged from S-l MS and 1821 Proof through a few R6's in grades
from poor to fine. Slides of S-48, 195, and 272 were among the more notable
varieties.

Palmer showed off some of his latest acquisitions to an appreciative audience.
Wright had advance copies of his attribution aids for 1816-1825 (see first
installment elsewhere in this issue), and one of Palmer's cents caused a last-
second change — both N-2 and N-17 of 1817 are found with bisecting crack on the
reverse.

Afterwards the Wrights and Palmers adjourned to Cooper's motel room to
photograph several cents and to discuss a possible swap. Gordon was hoping to find
a few R6's and R7's for sale or trade but had to settle for a VG S-86 plus a few
lower varieties. The Wrights departed for Atlanta after dark, and Cooper had to
remain most of Sunday to collect his multiple trophies as an exhibitor. Wright's
trophy was forwarded Sunday evening with his exhibit.

The exhibits at this BRNA show were the best the Southeast has seen in several
years, with at least two previous "best-in- show" exhibits failing to even elicit

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honorable mention against the stiff competition of thirty-odd, well-executed displays.
Best-in-show went to an elaborate, handcrafted display of Morgan dollars to which
words could not do justice. In such company the EAC has a right to be proud of its
showing in the exhibit room.

Sunday afternoon, August 16, Cooper, the Gordons, and the Palmers went their
separate ways, leaving behind an empty auditorium but carrying happy memories with
them. All of us "penny-hounds" had a ball and hope to repeat the conclave again soon.

*************

A CORRECTION AND AN APOLOGY!!?

The following note was received on July 23 from Clifford Mishler, Numismatic
Editor of COINS Magazine, a Krause Publication from Iola, Wisconsin:

"Dr. Lapp: - I have reviewed the contents of your July 15 issue of PENNY-WISE,
and want to make a pointed comment on a comment appearing on page 153. You state
that George K. Pretsch's plea to us fell on "deaf ears". Hardly! ! ! Enclosed is a tear-
sheet from the "Reader Forum" section of the July issue which you mentioned. I felt
that it was more appropriate to insert the "plug" for EAC at this point.

Clifford"

In "Reader Forum" of the July issue of COINS Magazine, the following letter is
printed:

"Enclosed is my contribution to your new reader participation program. Should
it merit publication I will be happy to submit a list of references consulted for the essay.

As a member of the Early American Coppers Club I can heartily recommend mem-
bership to those readers who are interested in the study of large cents. Our member-
ship ranges from beginners to the most eminent scholars In this area of numismatics.
Where to obtain further information about our organization may be an interesting and
valuable footnote to your first WTS feature.

George K. Pretsch"

Beneath George’s letter is the following plug for EAC by Editor Mishler:

"Readers will find Pretsch’s commentary on the original U. S. Chain cent presented
on page 19, it having been selected as the best of 32 entries in the first contest.

Collectors interested in obtaining more information on the EAC Club are invited to
write to Herbert A. Silberman, 174 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, New Jersey 07040.
Annual dues are $5., which includes a subscription to the very informative every-
other-month newsletter PENNY-WISE."

Ye Editor humbly apologizes to Editor Mishler for the oversight. We at EAC
gratefully acknowledge the nice plug given our organization. As a result of Editor
Mishler ’s announcement, the EAC has had inquiry from five or six large cent
collectors who are interested in joining EAC. This is not the first instance that
COINS Magazine and Cliff Mishler have been kind to EAC. A very extensive report on
the EAC Club, filling almost the entire column, appeared on page 19 of the May, 1968
issue of COINS Magazine (Vol. 15, No. 5). Again, our humble apologies to Editor
Mishler, and our grateful thanks for his selection of George Pretsch’s article as the
winner of that month’s contest and for the generous comments about EAC.

- 176 -

ALUMINUM FOIL IMPRESSIONS .WHICH REALLY WORK

Thomas P. Wolf

Like most coin collectors, I, on occasion, have wished for a cheap, easy way
to get an accurate picture or tracing of a particular coin. Photography is fine for
the professional photographer, but is expensive and time-consuming for the amateur.
At one time, foil impressions or pencil rubbings seemed to be the answer, but I've
never had any luck with either. When I came across in COLLECTOR'S DEN the
method which I'm about to describe, I didn't have much faith in it; but I gave it a
try anyway.

The results were amazing! On my first try, I had a foil impression which was
perfect in every detail. Every nick and scratch on the coin's surface showed plainly,
even areas of pitting and corrosion. In fact, I have found subsequently that large
cents which are badly worn are easier to attribute from a foil pressing than from the
coin itself.

All you need to make a press of your own are some scrap materials and a few
hours' work. Once made, the press should last forever, and you can make all the
foil impressions you want at a cost of almost nothing. This press is a must for
collectors who keep the bulk of their collection in a vault or for those collectors who
do a lot of selling or trading through the mail.

The materials needed to make a press are as follows:

(1.) An old seal press such as used by a Notary Public. My own is 4 inches long,
two inches wide, and 3 inches high. This size is ideal if you want to carry the press
with you to coin meetings or shows, etc. If you plan to leave the press on your desk
at home, a larger one would be more practical. Notary Public seals are usually
available, as castoffs, at junk shops for several dollars apiece.

(2 ) One strip of metal l/l6 to 1/8 inch thick, measuring about 2 l/2 by 4 inches.

I used aluminum in my press, but any metal strip which is readily available will
work fine.

(3) Two pieces of rubber 2 or 3 inches in diameter. Innertube patches are perfect.

Once you've gathered up these materials, all that's left is to put the press to-
gether.

First, round base plate (C ) must be blank. If an old seal is mounted there, the
seal can be knocked off or melted off, leaving a blank table. The table (C ) on my
press has two holes in it which are of no consequence.

Now take seal (E) from drive shaft (D). This is a press fit and should come
loose if you grip the seal (E ) with a pair of pliers and give the seal a little twist.

The base must be blank and can be filed smooth or turned down smooth on a small
lathe in just a few seconds. If you don’t have the time or patience to do either, a
new blank seal base can be bought to fit. Now apply contact cement or other suitable
glue to seal base (E)„ Attach (F), one of the rubber patches, to (E). After glue has
thoroughly dried, trim patch (F) to same size as seal (E) with a scissors. Replace
seal (E) into shaft (D).

- 177 -

Now glue the other rubber patch (G) to the metal strip ( J). You’re just about
ready to go.

Take a piece of aluminum foil about 2 by 4 inches, and fold it in half so that you
have a 2-inch square. Place your coin in the center of the lower piece of foil, mak-
ing sure that the upper piece of foil is over the coin. This makes a foil "sandwich"
with your coin in the middle. Carefully place this "sandwich" on the rubber patch
(G>. Slide metal strip (J) under seal (E) until coin is about centered. Push down
handle (B) firmly and count to 10. When you raise the handle, you should have a
beautiful coin pressing. If the foil should stick to the rubber patches, one should put
a piece of tissue paper between the foil and the rubber.

If you fail to understand my directions, or if I can be of any additional help,
please let me know. If you’d like to see a sample of the foil pressings, drop me a
line and I'll be glad to forward you several.

420 N. E. 7th Avenue
Hialeah, Florida 33010

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The "COLLECTORS DEN", 151 Wonderland City, San Antonio, Texas, 78201

The author wishes to express his sincere thanks to The "COLLECTORS DEN"
for the privilege of copying part of their article.

CORSON'S CORNER

by Allen Corson.

Everyone's invited! To the EAC Regional gathering in Miami, September 25-26-
27. Tom Wolfe and Frank Obermeyer are co-chairmen. Tom will have much more
to report elsewhere in this issue. Frank is President of the Miami Coin Club, which
held its 343rd meeting on July 8.

Still on Tom. He's come up with a device which has been hinted at before in
this Corner. You use it to make impressions on aluminum foil of coins, medals,
etc. If you want someone to "see your coin" but hesitate because of its value or the
postal charges are too much, then send him an aluminum foil pressing — for a total
cost of less than ten cents.

Fourth of July Coin Show is over. Despite no admission charge ever, crowd
was down somewhat, say 2,500-3,000 this year. And not spending - a reflection of
the market and general public reaction to financial times. When buying, they played
it closer to the we skit. Dickered. Often walked off, with the dough still in their
pockets.

Dealer-to-dealer lot of 48 common Late Dates (culls to skinny VF's) went for
$1.50 each, or $72. for the lot. Group of 23 nicer pieces (average about VF) were
bought off the floor at $90. , then sold to another dealer for $100. , who tried this
Corner at $125. after having stripped the lot of the two pieces in the XF class. It
figures !

Two "orange Unc’s" showed up. Dealer was doing public a "favor", telling
them that "other dealers would tell you these are Unc's and charge accordingly.

I'll call them AU's, and you are buying at less than XF book. " Pretty nice at $5.
a pop but lousy at $22. and $26.

There was, at first glance, a nice 1828 Unc., priced at $85. , but the man would
let it go for $50. Went over it with the 10-power glass. Then did it all over again;
thence, on the merry-go-round for a third, thorough inspection. No Unc. by any
means. Wear. Looked instead for wire-brush marks and other clues as to what
was used to give this piece such a dandy, overall appearance. The field showed
circulation, as did the rims. Has someone come up with a way to really and truly
fool anyone but the most wary?

Speaking of the "most wary", make sure to include yourself. It's a shame to
watch technology trying to "improve" a hobby with material that dates from 1793 to
1857.

- 30 -

ANSWERS TO SECOND t>HOTO-PENNY QUIZ
Dr. Ned Bush

Responses to our second P-PQ, although not quite the volume of the first,
appeared equally as enthusiastic as the first and definitely more knowledgable. As
noted by the grading averages in particular, there is a much better correlation this
time with the grading done by the panel of experts. Two reasons may explain this:
first, the Turban Heads are probably easier to grade; and secondly, the respondants
may have benefited from the first P-PQ and now were able to better correlate their
grading with the coin’s photographic appearance. Here are the members who answered
the quiz; and a' tip of my hat goes out to all of you:

L. A. Johnson
Charles Stillwell
Martin Post
Dave Fischer
Julius Feldman
Ralph Brown
Jo Robinson Brown,
Gordon Harnack
Donald Botteron
Charles Funk
Richard Marlor
Alan Meghrig
R. L. McArthy
Tom Wolf

The results are as follows:

Duluth, Minn.

Grand Forks, N. Dakota
Balboa, California
Centerville, Ohio
Tucson, Arizona
Indianapolis, Indiana
Jr. Louisville, Kentucky
Carmel, Indiana
Syracuse, New York
East Granby, Conn.
Pennsauken, New Jersey
Los Angeles, California
Fairfax, Virginia
Hialeah, Florida

Coin No.

Attribution

% Correct

Grading

Answers Received:

Answers

bv Panel

Average

Range

1 .

S-279

100

10

9.5

6-15

2.

S-284

100

5

5.7

3-10

3.

S-287

100

7

.7.7

5-12

4..

S-289

100

8

9.3

4-15

5.

S-292

100

10

10.9

3-30

6.

S-291

100

4

4.6

3-6

7.

S-283

54

6

7.3

2-20

8.

S-295

46

3

3.0

2-5

Before closing, I'd like to request the loan of any Wreath or Chain cents which
you could spare so that I can make up a third P-PQ. I want to photograph the coins
sometime in October or November, then present the coins to Dr. Sheldon and other
experts attending the Annual EAC Meeting in New York City late in November. Please
do not send any coins, however, without first contacting me in regard to the type and
general grade of coin you would like to offer. I'll reply promptly as to whether or not
I can use the pieces you have available. It goes without saying that this column would
fold tomorrow without the help of the EAC members.

Edward R. Bush, M.D.

19 Northway Court

Anderson, Indiana 46011

- 180 -

DANE B. NIELSEN WRITES:

"Time again for my quarterly letter, just after each issue of PENNY-WISE, or
possibly more accurately, just following another West Coast EAC regional meeting.
And what a meeting it was ! Paul Oliphant observed that the September issue of
P-W just might be about an 80 per cent West Coast bulletin, what with the EAC
activities out here and his (and probably mostly his son's) article on restrikes.

Let me add that Walter Breen was very pleased with the write-up of the restrikes.
He added one or two items, corrected another one or two, and then pronounced it the
most complete write-up of the subject he had ever seen. Of course, we all realize
that the information is available; but, for the first time, practically all that is
known about the restrikes is compacted into an article only several pages in length.

It is a fine article, and several of us have spent a fair amount of time on it. It is
of PENNY-WISE quality, to be sure. It should take its place alongside Wright's
Overdate articles as well as some of the other notable efforts of the last few years
(although, personally, I get as big a kick out of reading EAC meeting reports, whist
games, new discoveries, etc. ).

I'd like to thank you and all who contributed to the last P-W. The only in-
accuracy seemed to be in your introductory remarks - namely that this P-W would
occupy me during the hot weeks ahead. I'd read the latest issue about three times,
front to back, in the first four hours (as usual). Of course, I've read it again
twice since.

Too bad about Bill Parks retiring. It appears that some sort of re-organization
of the organization is imminent; but, whatever we do, let's keep it tight and compact
as it already is. I wonder if now that Herb is sort of 'retired' that he might be able
to contribute a little more of his talent to P-W. Several of us thought It would have
been very exciting if he had made a full-page story out of his discovery of the 14-K.
What an event! I feel deprived of sharing his experience ! Come on, Herb !

Isn't Julius Feldman a fine member? It is unusual to see much in P-W from
either our newer members or our older members (i.e. 60 plus), and maybe Julius
qualifies for both. We write regularly now and he is a real fine fellow. His
articles in P-W fill a necessary void - that of a down-to-earth basis. I learn some-
thing each time, too.

Looks like Wright has hit the jackpot ! Merkin has an MS 65-plus 1833 N-4 1/2
with the 2 plain under the 3 coming up in his September sale, according to Walter
Breen it's a real gem watch it go for $300. or more now.

I've already written Ned Bush on the photoquiz. Not much variety in condition,
it seems. Am awaiting his remarks.

Looks like we will need a librarian/historian soon. I hope that we continue to
get some nice books for the EAC Library. I just paid $38. for a Newcomb 1801-02-
03. That hurts !

181 -

• •

We've got two collectors out here who are big on half cents and who are looking
for correspondents within the Club. One is Hugh Campbell, and the other is Bill
Weber.

What's with this X, K. and Y bit in the Whist challenge? I’m sure not going to
challenge any X or K or Y. I'm glad that Dr. Sheldon used names in his accounts
of the game. Phooey!

I wish that I could attend the meeting in Miami, Florida. But $200. -300. for a
plane ticket buys a pretty nice large cent. Why wasn't the spring regional meeting
in Michigan announced in P-W before the occasion? Who knows? One of these days
I hope to attend one of those - but first I have to know about them.

Everybody here is disappointed with Breen, Blais dell, and Wright and their
join progress on the Newcomb revision.

The auction looks great. Only problem is the grading. More room should have
been given for description. There is no way that some of those coins could be re-
served so low unless there was some sort of damage. A true, AU50 d-136 is a
$300. -plus coin unles s it is weakly struck and the color is of eminent importance .
Thus, I can't bid. Such a coin was worthy of a plate in P-W, especially since the
proceeds go to the EAC. That's only one of many questions which I had.

I hope you can use my write-up of the West Coast EAC regional meeting in the
September 15 issue of P-W. Perhaps you could also include a paragraph or two about
a visit which Walter Breen made to the Los Angeles area on Thursday, July 23. The
Oliphants invited Walter, Jack Collins , and me out to a barbecue at their home
that evening. We spent a wonderful evening, talking about coins and enjoying the food.
Walter reminisced for us about some of the old times, and he helped Jeff Oliphant with
his article on the restrikes as well as viewing Jack Collin's 1816's and 1817's in
reference to his Newcomb revision study. A special thanks should go to Mrs. Kay
Oliphant for the excellent food and for her fine handling of a situation in which she
seemed like the only female within miles . Incidentally, Walter Breen was here in
Los Angeles to testify in the U. S. Government case against the counterfeiters of
those recent double die Lincoln cents „

That's about all, but keep us posted on the changes that seem to be quietly taking
place back there on the East Coast.

Regards,

Dane."

- 182 -

A LETTER FROM TOM WOLF: MIAMI, FLORIDA MEETING PLANNED

"Dr. Lapp: Well, after a year, I’ve finally finished my article on aluminum
foil pressings. I hope that it's possible to reproduce the diagram with the article.
Otherwise, I'll have to write it over without the picture. Incidentally, I wrote to
"Collectors Den" and asked their permission to copy part of their article. They
gave me permission to use the article as long as their name and address appeared
in the bibliography.

I'm sorry to hear that Bill Parks is retiring. I know he'll be missed, and I
can't see how the rest of you will take up the slack. I know how hard it was for me
to get out this small article. The job of putting out PENNY-WISE seems like a
monumental task.

The regional meeting of EAC here in Miami is taking shape. So far, we have
nine members who have said they will attend,, There are several others, including
John Wright, who wants to attend but can't be sure at this early date. Naturally,
we all hope that a few of you Northerners can come to the Land of Sunshine, even
for only a day or so. Allen Corson, Frank Obermeyer, and I are the committee in
charge of this meeting. The meeting is scheduled for September 25, 26, and 27
and coincides with a coin show sponsored by the South Florida Coin Club. The
SFCC has generously donated the sum of $50. to us to defray expenses. We hope
to rent a meeting room for all three days and to have light refreshments available.
We haven't planned any formal activities, but hope to have more or less of an open
meeting for all three days. With a headquarters and meeting room of our own, our
members can come and go, buy, sell, trade, and just sit and swap stories as they
choose. We don't know if this is the best way or not, but we plan to find out.

We hope to see a lot of EAC members in Miami for the meeting !"

*************

NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL EAC MEETING - OCTOBER 24, 1970

There will be a New England Regional EAC meeting on Saturday evening,
October 24, starting at 8:00 P.M. This corresponds with the weekend of the
NENA Convention in Bedford, New Hampshire. The EAC meeting, however, will
take place in Somerville, Massachusetts at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Denis
Loring. All EAC members from all areas are welcome ! If you think you might
come, drop us a line and we'll send detailed directions. The address:

Mr. and Mrs. Denis Loring
259 Summer Street
Somerville, Massachusetts 02143

The more , the merrier !

- 183 -

EAC AT MIAMI, FLORIDA - September 25-27, 1970

An EAC Regional Meeting, in Miami, has been announced in the July issue of
P-W. Your hosts, and co-chairmen, Tom Wolf and Frank Obermeyer, have a number
of things to add and to ask.

First, did you see the story in the September 2 issue of COIN WORLD (page 22)?
If so, you'll note the theme of our educational program: like the puppy who knows
little of the adult world but is always ready to play along, we "youngsters" in the finer
points of Large Centdom who live in South Florida await the arrival of the masters#
And as you'll see later on, we stand ready to move with your whims and wishes.

But to assure you that you have something workable to take home with you,
three 15-minute talks have been scheduled:

1. "Your Coins and Federal Income and Estate Taxes", by an expert tax
lawyer, S. George Trager, Immediate past -president, GCCC.

2. "How to Put Together an Exhibit", by the Montesis, Lou and Jean, who
handled the 1967 Exhibits sections for ANA,

3. "Judging by Official ANA Forms", by Joe McDaniel (a sure way to help
inexperienced judges guide themselves to more correct procedures, thus helping
everyone involved along proper avenues),,

EAC will have its own meeting room and a place to meet. Taking a tip from John
Wright, the coffee pot will stay on, with cookies and such, adjacent# 'Tis rumored,
too, that occasional goodies will make their way to the coffee bar. Display cases
will be on hand for those who reserve them for exhibiting in the EAC room. EAC
members to buy, sell, and trade in their own room; in bourse area, can buy from
or sell to dealers. If desired, material can be moved from EAC room to bourse
room at 10 P,M. , picked up at 10 A,M, next morning, be under security between
those hours. Penny Whist is invited, Ground rules will be made at whim of any

majority group, A Dutch treat dinner on Saturday night if agreeable lounge,

with both hard and soft, on the premises, otherwise tote your own. Good food in the
swank new Harvey Seeds' American Legion Post which is right on and overlooking
Blscayne Bay.

For your pleasure: the World's Worst 1804, complete with plastic coffin; Ben
Franklin substitutes an 1857 large cent for key, invents electricity; absolutely
terrible collection of large and Indian head cents, all keys included. We've nothing
to sell from this end. We have some beginners and some youngsters who will lap up
your kind words. If we're not doing enough, tell us. . . . . . . we'll think of something to

keep you happy. Bring your wives, and we'll furnish one guided, after show-hours
tour of Miami Beach's unbelievable skyline (ocean is no longer visible).

And you'll see, at first hand, how Tom. Wolf's coin pressing device works. To
prove it out, bring BU-PR coins, incused pieces, wire edge items.

- 184 -

Each registrant will go home with Tom's hand-fashidaed "EAC 1970 Miami
and (your first name ) " counterstamped piece. Handy lad, Tom ! 1

The EAC meeting room is being paid for by the South Florida Coin Club.
Numerous motels are within one block of the meeting room. If you have specialties
other than large cents, it is felt that you will be able to find a knowledgable group
at your disposal. At least three books are being readied by members. And strong
collections in a number of fields are represented in the membership of the sponsor-
ing SFCC.

A grouping of items useful in fiddling around with large cents, with the care of
coins, and with the preparation of exhibits will be on hand.

A counterstamp collection, by date and by alphabet, will be shown.

Frank Obermeyer has a piece attributed by Walter Breen which we're sure you'd
like to look over. Frank found it in a lot which he bought.

Biggest idea of ail is that EAC will have comfortable quarters all its own, in
which you can gab to your heart's content - 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. Friday and
Saturday, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. on Sunday, September 27.

Group picture will be taken, both for THE NUMISMATIST and for COIN WORLD.

If you have an idea, a request, or a suggestion, send it along for action.

Our next move will be to cut the off-season rates at one or more of the nearby
motels which are already operating on off-season rates (from Labor Day to mid-
November ).

Please check off and mail to Tom Wolf, 420 N.E. 7th Avenue, Hialeah, Florida
33010

Street

NAME Address

(Print) Last Middle First or Box

City State Zip Code

NEED ROOM Friday, 9/25

single double other Saturday, 9/26

Sunday, 9/27

CHECK YOUR WISHES: ~

Dutch Dinner ($3.-$5. ) at "The Pub" (own "long table", 10:30 P.M.

Saturday, 9/26 ) Yes No

Scenic Tour of Miami Beach Yes No Fri. Number of

Sat. Ladies _

LIST SPECIAL WISHES OR NEEDS:'

- 185 -

NEW MEMBERS

EAC welcomes aboard the following new members:

Apfelbaum, Stanley, President, First Coinvestors, Inc., 16 McKinley Avenue,
Albertson, New York 11507

Bowers, Q, David, c/o Hathaway and Bowers, 11975 East Florence Avenue,

Santa Fe Springs, California 90670

Hoffman, Ted, 974 Helen Avenue, Apt. 3, Sunnyvale, California 94086

Lester, Arthur J. , 13 Home Avenue, Binghamton, New York 13903

Leventhal, Ed, 43 Bromfield Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108

Martin, Robert, 2975 White Plains Road, The Bronx, New York 10467

Reynolds, Thomas D., 1017 Deauville Drive, Apt. 319A, Millard, Nebraska 68137

Sklar* Dr. Jay M. , 833 Amaryllis Avenue, Oradell, New Jersey 07649

Weber, Bill, 501 Pamlar Avenue, San Jose, California 95128

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Darwin Palmer, Dept, of Entomology, 1-87 Agriculture Building, University of
Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65201

*************

COMING ATTRACTIONS - next issue scheduled for November 15, 1970

"The Use of Large Cents in Polity" by Paul Carter
"Attribution Shortcuts for the Turban Heads" by Julius Feldman
"Notes on the Tammanys" (Part 2 - 1819-1821) by John D. Wright
"Corson’s Corner" one of the finest columns yet, by Allen Corson#

PRELIMINARY REPORT ON EAC MAIL BID SALE

Denis Loring supplied P-W with the following information regarding the recent
EAC Mail Bid Sale:

There were 18 bidders, of which 11 were successful.

36 out of the 70 lots were bid upon. 17 lots had two or more bidders.

There were 12 consignors.

A full report, including prices realized, will be carried in the November 15
issue of PENNY-WISE.

*************

- 186 -

PENNY POTPOURRI

Allen Corson's stationery is a sight for sore eyes lots of graffiti around

all sides as a border mostly advertising also a listing of his numis-
matic memberships. . . . .address etc only a small, center section for

correspondence must truly be seen to be appreciated is certainly an eye-

catcher and really wild! Best of all, in a small block atop the correspondence

area is a most suitable adage: "In all things be ye ever conservative."

Yup, that's our Allen ! And EAC loves him !

*************

Heber H. Dunkle, while reading through his latest issue of P-W, found that his
page 137 contained the start of the article by Julius Reiver on "The Accessory E

Again ", just the same as your copy and my copy did. But on page 138, the

reverse side, Dunkle 's copy offered a lengthy description of a 627 acre orange
grove which was being offered for sale by a real estate firm in Orlando, Florida at
a price of $375, 000, Heber Immediately sat down and dashed off a letter to ye
Editor, as follows:

"Dear Doc: Please note the enclosed page from my current issue of

P-W. I wondered how EAC managed to do such a fine job of publication and
distribution, and now I see where the extra income came from. Don't
wonder why Bill Parks is leaving town. Would appreciate a Xerox copy of
page 138 and return of the enclosed. Regards, Heber Dunkle."

Maybe such a mistake has occurred previously and was not brought to our
attention, so ye Editor feels that an explanation to all concerned is herewith in
order. Of course, Mama Mimeo does a lot of mimeographing for other people too;
and while the ink is drying, she separates bundles of one page from bundles of
another by inserting a practice or previously-spoiled sheet between the two. Some-
how or other, when Bill Parks collated the different pages and put the issue together,
he inadvertently included one of the practice sheets in one of the issues...... this is

the one that Heber received. Sorry about that, Heber. The corrected version is on
its way to you.

********511:*:**:*:

The following is taken verbatim from the July 14 Bulletin of the South Florida
Coin Club, which is edited and written by Allen Corson:

" ’Make me one, ’ said Sid Smith. That was the proof of Tom Wolf’s pudding,
the batch he cooked up being an altered notary seal, plus ingenious innovations of
Tom's making.

Using his device, you place a coin or medal, etc. upon a pan, press, and an
aluminum foil likeness emerges. If it’s a large cent, it'll be one you could
attribute , provided there was enough on the original coin. If it was a medal with
an incused surface, Tom's creation exerts enough pressure to reveal the below-
surface die work. Same goes for tokens..

187

Now, let's say you have a valuable piece. You'd prefer to keep it in your bank
vault, but you need an opinion or you just want someone else to inspect the quality
of it. Presto: make the pressing, drop it in the mail. No chance of theft or loss;
no costly handling charges at the Post Office.

The product is pure class. Tom is to be congratulated » Anyone handling costly
coins needs one, as does the fellow who sends stuff away often. And here's another
use for you: suppose you wanted simultaneous opinions from people in Hawaii and

Alaska. No other way to turn that particular trick. "

*************

George Ramont, an EAC member from Woodlyn, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia,
recently presented a talk on "Large Cents, 1793-1857" before the members of the York
(Pa. ) Coin Club, Inc. Ramont projected colored slides to illustrate his talk, and he
pointed out the various changes occurring in Miss Liberty over the years as she went
from tomboy to maturity". George also displayed his large cent exhibit at the meet-
ing. This exhibit was awarded Second Prize at the ANA Convention in Philadelphia in
August, 1969.

*************

From a Detroit newspaper: "Community College Gives 700 Degrees. Commence-

ment exercises for more than 700 candidates for associate degrees and career certi-
ficates at South Campus of Macomb County Community College were held June 18 at the
Light Guard Armory in Detroit.

James S. Munro, former dean of the Campus who is completing work on his doctoral
program was the commencement speaker, Munro served as chief campus adminis-
trator for nearly three years and directed the successful effort towards accreditation
of the campus by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

CCG President John R. Dimitry presided over the ceremonies and conferred
degrees and certificates. Lyle R. Robertson, dean of the Campus, presented the
candidates for degrees and certificates.

Graduating with high honors at South Campus were among others, Gordon J.

Wrubel etc. etc."

The above article was forwarded to us by Bettie Wrubel, Gordon’s wife, who said
I m enclosing an article which I thought would be of interest to you and some of the
members of EAC. Gordon has attended both Wayne State University and Macomb
County Community College (parttime) during the eight years it took him to achieve
this. He wouldn't crow about it and doesn't know I'm writing. But being a proud wife,

I can, and would love to see it in PENNY-WISE. "

We re proud of Gordon too, Bettie. Thanks for sending us the article, and I'm
sure that all of the EAC members wish Gordon the very best and congratulate him on
his achievement.

*************

Member James G. Johnson, who is Editor of "Collectors’ Clearing-house" in
COIN WORLD, published enlarged close-ups of two unusual counterstamps on
large cents in his column of August 5. The coins were found in the Vignola collec-
tion. An 1802 large cent bears the C/S of an eagle, while an 1817 large cent
carries a bovine head. Johnson comments: "Eagles are known as C/S's on large
cents, and Ken Hallenbeck lists a couple, but we don’t know if this matches any of
them. Anybody have any suggestions as to origin or have identical twins?"

*************

FLASH - FLASH - FLASH It has been reported that Denis Loring

discovered a new 1796 variety at the ANA meeting - Obv. S-118, Rev. S-117 -
Grade: Good. We hope to have more details available for the next issue of P-W.

sjc>f:5|<3(e^c}jc4:^£5|c5fi:5jc^e^:

The following letter is published for the interest of all:

FCI FIRST COINVESTORS, INC.

FCI Building - 16 McKinley Avenue, Albertson, N. Y. 11507

August 24, 1970

Dear Dr. Lapp:

I am one of the newest members of EAC, and as such I am most gratified with
all of the written material you have sent me. For many years I have personally
been interested especially in large coppers over any other series of rare coins.

As an attorney with offices in Brooklyn for more than 14 years, I often thought
about the business of selling coins; and when the opportunity came my way, I
entered into the field which now occupies 95 per cent of my time. I send to you
some material which you might find of interest concerning our organization.

Would you allow a commercial investment -minded organization to take a non-
commercial interest in EAC? I believe that many of our subscribers and members
would be most interested in the great knowledge that you impart to your members
through PENNY-WISE. If you will allow FCI to extract information from the pages
of PENNY-WISE from time to time, we would be most appreciative. We also re-
quest permission to give your name and address and the rate of subscription to our
own members. Moreover, we would like to be certain that your magazine not be
discontinued and toward that end, we would like to contribute monies from time to
time.

We enclose herein our check in the sum of $50. as a first avowal of our interest.
Thank you for your kind attention herein.

Sincerely yours,

FIRST COINVESTORS, INC.

Stanley Apfelbaum, President"

- 189 -

Your Editor recalls a comment made by the late James Kelly of Paramount,
International several years ago when your Editor sought Kelly’s permission to

republish Breen’s article on "The Strawberry Cents",,. Jim said that he and

Paramount, International felt that any numismatic material which would benefit the
field of coin collecting in general should be available for republishing so long as the
source was sighted and due recognition paid. Likewise, repetition is one of the
greatest sources of flattery.

We at PENNY-WISE are grateful to Stanley for his kind comments and his
company's generous contribution.

*************

From Ken Hallenbeck: "Just got back from ANA convention in St. Louis. Had

a ball and managed to buy 73 counter stamped large cents, 71 from one man. Largest
grouping I had ever acquired from one source. None were really very good C/S's
though. While in St. Louis, I saw that the EAC had a meeting in the evening on Friday,
so walked in on the group and had a pleasant chat with a few of the members.

Charlie Latham, EAC member from Marion, Indiana, gave a talk at the Indiana
State Numismatic Association convention is South Bend in May. I was there and heard
his talk and thought it was excellent. He did a fine job.

In the last issue of PENNY-WISE, I noticed the bibliography on half cents. I
wrote an article in THE NUMISMATIST for November, 1967, pp. 1402-1404 on
"Counterstamped U. S. Half Cents". My reference was not included in the listing given
in the last issue, so thought that some of those interested in half cents might like to
know about it. "

*************

Q. David Bowers, in his regular COIN WORLD column, page 11 of the September
2 issue, gives the EAC bold headlines. David tells how Denis Loring sent him a copy
of PENNY-WISE and got him interested in joining EAC. Of PENNY-WISE, he says
"Anyone interested in early cents, and I certainly am, cannot help but find PENNY-
WISE interesting." Bowers cites comments and articles in the copy of P-W which
Loring had sent him, naming Herb Silberman, Dane Nielsen, and Julius Feldman.

Best of all, he suggests that other CW readers who are interested might also contact
Denis for further information about EAC and possible membership. Thank you, kind
sir !

sic:*::*::*****:*****

On page 33 of COIN WORLD, September 2 issue, there's another article on Q.
David Bowers. The article starts out: "A 'hometown boy who made good’ was the
subject of a recent feature by Binghamton (NY) Press columnist Tom Cawley, as he
recalled the phenomenal career of Q. David Bowers," The review of Cawley's article
should be of interest to EAC members. We suggest you look for it !

*************

Don't forget Ned Bush's request for help in photographing Chain and Wreath

cents see his request which is given at the end of his article reporting the

answers on the second Photo-Penny Quiz. If you can cooperate with him, you'll be
helping other members of EAC too,

190 -

COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS

From ALLEN CORSON: "This coin-pressing device of Tom Wolf's has my

FULL stamp of approval. Beats my eraser-hand pressing method all hollow.
Tom’s even takes impressions on incused surfaces, which was where my idea ran
into trouble. Really great ! Tom can make them to sell at $10. ; and it's definitely
something not to be without."

From CHARLES E. PLUNKETT: "Thanks for a great publication."

From J. M. COOPER: This should have been published in the previous issue

but was overlooked at press time — "To better inform Mr. Nielsen of the cents
he referred to in my collection (see P-W No. 18, page 110) which were examined
by Capt. Palmer and reported to P-W by him after our recent EAC meeting - if a
word will do, how about "exquisite"? - if numbers will better describe them,
then say 50 and 65 respectively. "

From PAUL W, PATERSON: "I think that PENNY-WISE is an invaluable aid

for anyone interested in U. S. large cents. I am having my copies of PENNY-
WISE hard-cover bound, with index, and with appropriate art work on the cover.
This will be one of the best-used books in my library. "

From JAMES MACE , JR. : "Enclosed please find check in the amount of $10.

to cover my dues for 1970, remainder to be used for postage and other club
expenses. PENNY-WISE is so well-organized and informative that I look forward
to receiving each issue with pleasant anticipation. I enjoy everything about it.

Keep up the good work. "

From M/SGT. JAN EDEBURN, stationed in Alaska: "Numismatically,

there's not much to offer in the Fairbanks area. There are two coin clubs, one at
the military base and one in town, which offer only limited interest in the early
coppers. Then, too, I haven't really dug too deeply since our arrival in June.

The summers here are packed full with things to do, since the winters are so cold
and dark, Alaska is a lovely place - the salmon fishing is really unbelievable and
so is the hunting.

I am certainly waiting with much anxiety for the up-dating of Newcomb's book
and PENNY WHIMSY too. Since I became a coin collector twelve years ago, the
early date large cents have always appealed to me. Occasionally something else
catches my fancy, but never for long.

I'm certainly impressed with the vast amount of information contained in P-W.

- 191 -

BACK ISSUES OF ‘ PENNY-WISE FOR SALE

When Bill Parks retired from his job as distribution manager of P-W and as
EAC treasurer, he forwarded some back issues of P-W to our headquarters. We
are offering the following issues for sale to those who might be interested. Please
send your check and order to Warren A. Lapp, 731 East 22nd Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
11210. The issues are offered on a "first come, first served" basis:

P-W No. 7. Vol. 2, No. 4, Pages 108-151. Xerox copy - only one copy avail-
able. $2. Articles: Counterstamps on L/C's by Lapp; The 1838 L/C by Breen;
Aluminum Foil Pressing by Corson; Overdate L/C's 1816-39 (Part 4) by Wright.

P-W No. 9. Vol. 2, No. 6, : Pages 202-244. November 5, 1968, 6 copies
available. $2. each. Articles: Census Report of ED L/C's by Herb Silberman;
Strawberry Leaf Cents of 1793 - a reprint of Walter Breen’s; the 1797 NC7 by
Breen; The Old Crocker Bros. Copper Works of Taunton, Mass, by the Carters;
Howard R. Newcomb - A Biography by Lapp.

P-W No. 11. Vol. 3, No. 2, Pages 41-80, March 15, 1969, 8 copies available.
$2. each. Articles: Unwanted Little Sisters (Half cents) by Paul Carter; Reverse
Types of 1794-1807 by Wright; 1799 L/C - Genuine or Counterfeit by Silberman;

The Chapman Bros, by Lapp; The Directors of the Mint, Part 3, by Lapp; Essay
on Grading, Part 2, by George Pretsch.

P-W No. 12. Vol. 3, No. 3, Pages 82-107, May 15, 1969, 6 copies available.
$1.75 each. Articles: Proof L/C's by Walter Breen; The Accessory E in the 1837
N-12 by Reiver; For the Love of Pete of Mary or John (Love Tokens) by Paul Carter;
Index for Vols. I and 1 1 by Funk.

Index to Vols. I — 1 1 by Charles Funk, 25£ 11 copies available.

P-W No. 13. Vol. 3, No. 4, Pages 108-142, July 15, 1969, 3 copies available.
$1.50 each. Articles: The 1794 S-48 Starred Reverse L/C by Lapp; Types of 1839
Cents by Wright; A New, Recently Discovered 1795 L/C by Breen; Old Time
Collectors and Dealers by Lapp and Breen.

P-W No. 14. Vol. 3, No. 5, Pages 143-168, September 15, 1969, 17 copies
available. $1.25 each. Articles: Up-to-date Compilation and Sunnary of the NC’s
1793-1794, Part 1„ by Lapp and Wright; The Three Greatest Early Cent Sales by
Denis Loring.

P-W No. 15. Vol. 3, No. 6, Pages 169-194, November 15, 1969, 21 copies
available. $1.25 each. Articles: House with Coins Wall-to-Wall by Allen Corson;
Summary of NC’s 1795-99, by Lapp and Wright.

Here's your chance to pick up some copies that you're missing or to replace some
that are getting dog-eared from use. PENNY-WISE is destined to become a collector's

item in time buy while you can. EAC can use the extra cash you can

enjoy the issues of P-W.

- 192 -

NOTES on the TAMMANYS
John D. Wright

The following tables are listed by characteristic die states, with the most
eye-catching features listed first. Some varieties show duplicate listings for
coins in other than the "usual" states.

An indentation implies that the heading feature is shared by all listings
indented from it.

Abbreviations PLD, PLS, PLF, PLC represent Point of Leaf at D/S/F/C

as listed in Newcomb.

18 16

Rim breaks at right obverse

16 closer than 18 8

18 closer than 16 (slightly)

PLF about R 2

PLF about C 1

Bold rim left Rev. with
double denticle over E 3

Same reverse, plain center dot in ear — 9

Open mouth 4

No lump on 6 loop 7

PLD NL * 5

Triple denticle at K6 l/2 on reverse — — 6

B of LIBERTY square at right bottom

Three long denticles between 18 8

PLD PC, "OF" centered 1

PLF PR 1 3

PLS PR, PLF NL 2 4

PLS SPR, PLF SPC 2 — - 7

Extra line over ERTY 3 6

1. Often struck weakly at right, so rim break may not show (though always present).

2. Occasionally found unlapped, so the earlier-listed, more obvious feature may
be lacking.

3.. Late states may not show dentilatlon.

The only rarities of this year are N-1,3. Newcomb 5,9 are scarcer than most,
but are not rare. ,

- 193 -

( »

18 17

Blunt l's (fifteen stars) 16

Lump atop head

lump large, semicircular 7

" thickest at front (left) 8

" " at rear (right)

Date close, even 3

81 spaced wide 9

Die crack through top of date 12

" " " base " " 4

1 entirely left of bust 4

A in STATES slightly high 14

Otherwise 15

Divided date (81 apart) 9

8 open at bottom 3

NE/SW bisecting crack on reverse

PLC NR 2

PLC NC 17

PLD PC, PLF PR 6.

Double denticle over left upright of N

Stray hair over back of ear — 8

B recut inside top loop 7

O

18. widely spaced

Sixth star far right 12

PLS midway S O, PLF PC 10

PLS SPC - 11

Very close date**

1 off tip of bust 4 13

PLC NR 2

Double denticle at K6 1/2 reverse — 1

A in STATES slightly high

Strong rev. dentilation and

large center dot 4

Lapped, small center dot — — 5

5

Special case (see below) 17

1, Hold coin so first 1 is upright.

2* See also N-6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 above.

3. See also N-3,6,7,16 above. Newcomb 6,7 Is purposely double -referenced*

- 194 -

4. The left serif of the 1 is notably left of the bust tip, but the 1 is
not entirely past the bust.

5. Special case ; Newcomb 17 without the bisecting crack is quite similar
to N-5 and perfect-die N-4, No "single-point" aid is available for
this variety when found unbisected. A full die-description of this
reverse (in unbisected state) follows*

Leaves PC SPR SPC NC, strong border dentilation, tiny
center dot, TAT on same base line, leaf does not "prac-
tical! y touch" D, I of UNITED has right foot shorter
than left (as on N-3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13). The die crack
through TAT is deceptively similar to that often found
on N-5. The leaf tip at the second T of STATES ends
slightly before the right tip of that letter-foot —
on N-5 it reaches slightly past the foot.

Several varieties of 1817 come with "open mouth" in later die states.

The head puncheons on N-12,13,14,15 obverses are rotated left relative
to the date and stars. This single act causes a number of related "abnormal-
ities" on these dies* (1) First 1 of date is farther left than customaiy.

(2) Sixth star is far right of coronet point. (3) Tenth star points at the
lower lobe of the hair bun rather than "nearly touching" the upper lobe as
customary.

The only rarities of the year are N-1,17,
not rare. N-5, 15 » long considered scarce, are

Newcomb 2,4,12 are
rather common.

scarce,

but

18 16

N-8

Square B

Lump on 6

18 18

18 17

Mouse on Head

No Cleft (1816-1818)

Cleft Lock (1818-1835)

- 195 -

18 18

Closed hair bun 8

Circular die crack on obverse

Through outer star points — 8

Through inner star points — 10

Through inner points but not date:

81 spaced very close 5

Cleft lock behind Y

PLS PE, Obv. IC complete 6

PLS PC, Rt foot T in CENT short — 7

Stars very close to date

Tenth berry under left foot of M — 3

Tip of 1 about at ; tip of bust 1 5

1 well under bust: First star

point & 1 serif on same line — 4

Stars far from date, no cleft lock
Date close, spaced 1 81 8 1

PLF NR, PLC NR 1

PLF SPR, PLC NC 5

PLF SPC 2 2

Wide date

1 off tip of bust 10

Triple dentil under first 8 8

Left edge of curl about at

left upright of 1 9

1. Newcomb 5 has stars spaced rather close to the date but nowhere near as
close as on N-3,4« Hence, N-5 is listed under both "close star" and "far
star". The distance between the closest points of the first and thirteenth
stars measures 9 1/2 mm (12/32 inches) on N-3 and N-4, 10 1/2 mm
(13/32 inches) on N-5, and over 11 mm (14/32 inches) on all other dies
of 1818.

2. See also N-6,8,10, which have reverse similar to this.

The only rarities of the year are N-2,4. Newcomb 8 is scarce, but not rare.
Newcomb 5, long considered scarce, is rather common. Newcomb 4, referred to
as "the 14-K of the late dates", was considered unique as late as 1945 (sixty-four
years after first publication). It is now probably an upper R6, nearly R7.

(to be continued)

- 196 -

■*****■#**■#•****'

SWAPS & SALES

WANTED: Large cents In trade for my Type coins. Send list of Type coins you

need, and large cents which you want to trade, to:

Charles E. Plunkett, 105 North Quapaw Avenue, Bartlesville, Oklahoma 74003

*************

EARLY CENTS FOR SALE:

1794

S-47

VF30

1797

S-129

VF20

1798

S-171

VF35

S-64

XF40

S-130

VF30

1800

S-192

VF30

1795

S-74

AU50

S-143

F15

1802

S-229

VF35

1796

S-lll

VF25

1798

S-153

VF35

1803

S-254

AU50

NC4

G5

S-164

VF30

1807

S-272

VF20

If you are interested in any of the above, please write.

WANTED: S-90, 96, 100, 125, 132, 178, 180, 198, 217, 218.

Please write me if you have any one or more of these available.

Denis W. Lorlng 259 Summer Street Somerville, Massachusetts 02143

*************

FOR SALE - 1803's as follows:

S-245

VG8

$16.

S-250

VF20

$40

S-246

VF20

46.

S-258

VF20

31

S-247

VF20

50.

S-261

VG7

11

I am Interested in German Empire, Weimar Republic, and any U. S. types,
keys, etc.

Lawrence A. Nilson P.O. Box 205 Yorktown Heights, New York 10598

*************

************* buying COUNTERSTAMPED U.S. LARGE CENTS **************

Send, unwanted c/s U.S. lg $ — invoiced, insured— for offer. Both
Sheldon and Newcomb items; also oddities. Held seven days pending
agreement. Postage refunded on buys. Slowest check in U.S. Free
attributions, you pay ret. post. & ins.

**** ALLEN CORSON, ‘BOX 261, MIAMI, FLA. 33138.. EAC #155, ANA, ANS ****

- 197 -

***************

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Mr. Erie P. Neman Numismatic Education Society
6450 Cecil Ave.

St. Louis, Missouri

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